It’s the war of the Italian delis! Next month, we’ll be covering Coia’s Cafe on Duke Street, the relatively more established Dennistoun deli (it opened in the nineteen-twenties as opposed to the nineteen-eighties), so we’ll let the ‘newbie’ go first. Both have been fattening up locals for years, and as legendary Glasgow businesses, they deserve something a little bit special. No ratings will be made for this review until both have been eaten at. The delis will be ruthlessly compared , to see which one is Dennistoun’s best, though you should probably go to both to be honest.
At Celino’s, everything feels special. Our waiter points us to the special Christmas menu, but there’s a special lunch menu if ‘we’re not feeling too hungry’ (it’s still three courses). On Wednesday’s they do a tapas for £15.95 which he informs is a special price. It’s a Tuesday, but it’s still nice to be informed.
To be fair, Celino’s is as special place, so the sarcasm isn’t totally justified. The family-owned deli on Alexandra parade has remained immensely popular as the city changes around it. It does especially well at Christmas when they sell seasonal treats, and when their takeaway lasagne is sought after for its warm hug on the way home as much as for the taste.
Of the two big dennistoun delis, Celino’s in the more homely. Its walls are decorated with hazy family pictures, and you can recognise a few of the faces from behind the counter. The staff are on first name basis with the couple next to us, and the family with a pushchair share a laugh with a chef hidden behind the cake counter as they leave.
The menu is elegant and old-school, balancing fine-dining with fish and chips like it has always done. Pasta and pizza seems a good combo. The filetto linguine is fantastic, with its tangy cherry tomatoes and sharp parmesan sauce. The steak itself melts, and doesn’t loose its buttery flavour as part of a sauce dish. The misto di carne calzone is ridiculous and fantastic, with smoky chicken, steak, peppers and a spice tomato sauce. It completely dwarfs the side salad next to it. The dough is wonderfully chewy. The filling inside doesn’t make it soggy, surprisingly. It’s hard to be let down by a calzone the size of your head, but the flavour is quite one note, given that you’ll be eating it for about a year.
A giant calzone at celino’s 
the filleto linguine
Celino’s love a big portion. The side of garlic bread for my pasta comes with five pieces, loaded with butter. I only left one, so again, it’s hard to be too upset.
We finish off with a caramel cake sundae. Huge pieces of chewy, slightly salty sponge are layered through smooth chocolate and vanilla ice creams. It’s the kind of meat-and-potatoes item that Celino’s is built on. Sadly, it’s also got a massive ginger hair in it. This isn’t a metaphor – there was a big hair in my ice cream. The staff were quick to deal with it. They refunded it from our order and brought over a new one, with the same kind of quiet, casual professionalism you’d expect from a business that’s made it this far, so it’s not a disaster. Our waiter throws in a cannoli, and some lemon olives, which he saw me eye up on the way in. I’m hoping to be on first-name basis when I come back to thank him.
Bookings for Celino’s can be made online, or by phoning 0141 341 0311.
Advertisements Share this:
